Mayor's message Thursday 4 March

The City of Ballarat is seeking community input for a draft housing strategy. 

Ballarat continues to grow, and projections show our city could be home to as many as 150,000 people by 2040. 

That’s why we need to make sure we can not only meet those growing and diverse needs, but that our housing options are sustainable, equitable and align with community values and expectations. 

This Council is also aware of the need to balance those opportunities presented by ongoing growth with the need to preserve Ballarat’s unique qualities, like our built-form heritage, that contribute to our reputation as a liveable city. 

For this reason, the Ballarat Housing Strategy will be delivered alongside the Ballarat Neighbourhood Character Study, with previous community engagement also informing the strategy. 

To help start the conversation, a Ballarat Housing Discussion Paper has been prepared and outlines the range of considerations that will inform the housing strategy. 

You can find the discussion paper, the neighbourhood character study, and contribute to the conversation at our mysay website. 

A draft housing strategy is expected to be released for community consultation by mid this year.  

Finally, as we head into the long weekend don’t forget this Saturday marks the beginning of our new format Ballarat Begonia Festival. 

There’s so much to explore over three weeks as part of the citywide event program, from the illuminated garden at the Sturt Street Gardens, live music across the city and  festival favourites such as the Begonia display at the Robert Clark Conservatory.  

Visit ballaratbegoniafestival.com to check out the festival program and find everything there is to see and do in Ballarat over the next three weeks. 

Cr Daniel Moloney 

Mayor